Fordham University's plan to give an award to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has drawn criticism from alumni and the leader of the Catholic church in New York over Breyer's support for abortion rights.

Pope Benedict XVI will make public appearances in a bulletproof "Popemobile" on two days during his first U.S. visit next week, the Roman Catholic archdioceses of New York and Washington, D.C., announced Tuesday.

The two archdioceses where Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate public Masses in April on his first U.S. tour as pope have received more than 200,000 ticket requests, about double the number of seats available, from Catholics around the nation.

Michael O'Leary doesn't need to choose between sinning and nibbling this St. Patrick's Day. O'Leary will enjoy his corned beef on Friday thanks to Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee. Dolan is among dozens of bishops granting one-day dispensations from Lenten rules that prohibit Catholics from eating meat on Fridays.

A Roman Catholic monsignor resigned as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral after being accused of having an affair with a married woman. Msgr. Eugene Clark, 79, denied he had been carrying on an affair with his 46-year-old private secretary.

A father was charged with murder hours after his 7-year-old daughter was found stabbed to death at her small parochial school in this Hudson Valley village. No weapon has been found. The body was discovered soon after classes started Thursday.